SALT LAKE CITY >> The shots kept dropping into the basket at a frenetic pace. The sequences mirrored something seen in a video game with a cheat code instead of an actual basketball contest.

Despite nursing season-long soreness nearly all over his body, a 37-year-old Kobe Bryant scored 60 points on a career-high 50 shots against the Utah Jazz on April 13 in his final career game.

Instead of stewing about how that moment came after the Jazz were officially eliminated from playoff contention, Utah coach Quin Snyder viewed Bryant’s fourth-largest scoring output in his career through the lens of serving as a Lakers assistant during the 2011-12 season.

“Short of losing the game, to be a part of that is pretty special given the relationship I was able to form with him,” Snyder said before the Lakers played the Utah Jazz on Friday at Vivint Smart Home Arena. “You always want to win a game. But to see him …”

Snyder trailed off. He then shared he watched the final four minutes of the game “a couple of times” that featured Bryant scoring 13 points.

The two have routinely talked trash to each other. Yet, Snyder recalled that Bryant “just kind of laughed about” his performance when they saw each other afterward. The two have kept in touch as Bryant has expanded his company geared toward digital storytelling.

“I was excited to see he started that venture group and he started to ring the bell,” Snyder said, referring to Bryant’s recent visit to the New York Stock Exchange. “He’s probably thinking about other stuff.”

Lakers coach Luke Walton has not thought much about Bryant’s last performance, either. The former Golden State assistant was occupied with the Warriors’ season finale that coincided with Bryant’s performance.

“I never saw the game,” Walton said. “But the highlights were spectacular.”

Job well done

Walton currently feels more joyful than when he last played with the Lakers. Four years ago, Walton fell out of the rotation under former Lakers coach Mike Brown. The Lakers soon traded Walton to Cleveland as part of the Ramon Sessions deal.

Walton still cherished the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season partly because of Snyder’s presence as a Lakers assistant.

“I loved playing for Quin. He was a coach that was easy to talk to and I liked his view on the game,” Walton said. “He had a sharp mind with the way he saw and explained things.”

Consider the feeling mutual.

“He had a quiet intelligence. Sometimes you had to ask him what he thought,” Snyder said. “You can always learn a lot from NBA players if you’re coaching and paying attention. There’s things they acquire over a period of a career. For Luke, that translates into him coaching right now.”

Walton’s influence has traced to more established coaches in Arizona (Lute Olson), with the Lakers (Phil Jackson) and Golden State (Steve Kerr). Yet, Walton has admired how Snyder has related to players and established a culture with the Jazz.

“He’s been great. They haven’t made the playoffs yet. But the way they play and the development of their young players, he’s done an absolutely phenomenal job,” Walton said. “He should get a lot of credit for the work they’ve done.”

Injury update

Lakers backup guard Jose Calderon sat for the second consecutive game because of a strained left calf. Calderon believes he will return for Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City after participating in Thursday’s practice and Friday’s morning shootaround without any setbacks.

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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